Depressing Stuff

It's not every day you get to see the favourite part of your patch completely destroyed. This afternoon this was the sight that greeted me - the dung field being utterly ripped to shreds. The area of scrub that has been dug up did have breeding Whitethroats, Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks and Blackbirds. Not anymore. Little chunks of habitat like this provide little oases in a grass field desert. The timing of this destruction seems utterly crazy and it's thoroughly depressing.

 

As far as this week's birding goes there is very little to report, as the rest of the country is apparently groaning under the weight of rarities and scarce migrants. This evening's dog walk on the Commons produced Hobby and Spotted Flycatcher and off Mudbank there were 16 Bar-tailed Godwits this evening, with 2 Ringed Plovers and c15+ Dunlin.

Yesterday on Orcombe Point I recorded 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 1 Swift, 1 Grey Heron, 1 Mediterranean Gull and 14 Sandwich Terns. Off Mudbank there were 35+ Dunlin, 10 Ringed Plovers and 1 Turnstone.

The 10th produced 1 Garden Warbler, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 1 Collared Dove, 1 Sanderling, 1 Dunlin and 1 Grey Heron. Two Bar-tailed Godwits and a Knot were scoped on the river from the back garden.

The 9th was a better day. Orcombe Point - 1 Mediterranean Gull, 3 Great Crested Grebes, c20+ Sandwich Terns, 1 Common Scoter, 1 Green Woodpecker and 4 Sanderling. Mudbank - 30+ Whimbrel, c30+ Sanderling, c35+ Dunlin, c30+ Turnstone, 1 Ringed Plover, 1 Bar-tailed Godwit, 18 Black-headed Gulls and 1 Great Crested Grebe.

An evening visit to the Exmouth Nightjar site resulted in fantastic views of 2/3+ birds and a late-evening singing Dartford Warbler. On Bystock Pools there was a pair of Tufted Ducks.

 

 

First-summer Mediterranean Gull

Cup Final!

Another dawn on Orcombe Point with much the same in the way of birds - in order of appearance - 2 Dunlin, 5 Great Crested Grebes, 1 Great Northern Diver, 1 Black-headed Gull, 1 Roseate Tern, 4 Manx Shearwaters, 12 Common Scoter and 20+ Sandwich Terns. I had a quick look from opposite Warren Point in time to watch 4, then a further 6, Pale-bellied Brent Geese arriving. There were just 3 Whimbrel and about a dozen Sanderling on the point itself.
I watched the river from the back garden for a short while this morning and logged 13 Bar-tailed Godwits heading upriver, and 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese - presumably the birds seen earlier off the seafront.
Following an afternoon at St James' Park, watching Joel play a cup final, I whizzed around the top fields and was somewhat surprised to find the Short-eared Owl. I haven't seen it for three days so had assumed it had gone. It has clearly changed its habits.

Arriving Pale-bellied Brent Geese over the Warren Point dunes.

These mating Rosemary Beetles were found by our neighbour Neil. A year ago we searched the Rosemary in his garden for them without success so he was understandably chuffed to find these today - a simply stunning species! Many thanks Neil.

It has been a good day for butterflies with temperatures well above average for the time of year. This Wall on Orcombe Point was the first I've seen this spring. Also on the wing were good numbers of Orange-tip, Peacock, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral.

It's still here - roosting on the edge of the field above the Bristol Schools Camp.

No bird, no matter how rare, will ever stop me watching Joel (number 8) play football, and Brixington Blues under 11s became East Devon and Exeter District Cup Champions today. Well done Blues!

Latest Stuff

Red Kite heading south'ish over Woodbury Fort this morning.

 

Passerine migration seems to have all but dried up here in Exmouth. Nick and I had a look at Orcombe first thing this morning and logged just 5+ Swallow and a west-bound summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver. Maer Rocks was better - a Roseate Tern gave prolonged views with 3 Common Terns. Additionally 1 Guillemot, 4 Turnstone, 4 Great Crested Grebes, another Great Northern Diver and c20 Manx Shearwaters all made the notebook. The wader flock roosting on Warren Point included 10 Whimbrel, 23+ Sanderling, 4 Ringed Plover and 19+ Dunlin.

Joel and I walked the dog around Woodbury Common this morning but a lone Red Kite was the only bird of note. A brief look at the river from the back garden mid-morning produced a surprise Razorbill and a fly-through Bar-tailed Godwit.

Yesterday morning 2 Roseate Terns, 2 Common Terns, 1 Whimbrel, 5 Common Scoters and 4 Great Crested Grebes were seen off Maer Rocks and 5 Grey Plovers flew north upriver.

On Thursday  Orcombe Point produced 6 Whimbrel, 1 Roseate Tern and 6 Pale-bellied Brent Geese. A minimum count of 82 Whimbrel was made off Mudbank.

Cutting Corners

Bang on cue - this Great Northern Diver cut right across Orcombe Point heading south-west just after dawn this morning. It's such a regular spring sight nowadays but they travel so fast that they're always heading away by the time I get the camera out.

I was on Orcombe for 0530 this morning. A Great Northern Diver was the best bird if you don't count the Short-eared Owl that was still hunting the rough fields just up from the Geoneedle. Also seen - 1 Wheatear, 7 Great Crested Grebes and a Common Tern before heading back to get ready for work. Just 10 Pale-bellied Brent Geese and 7 Bar-tailed Godwit were off Mudbank.
Late this afternoon I took the dog for a long walk up on the Commons. At least 1 Hobby, a Wheatear and several Siskins were noted.

This morning's Wheatear with Dawlish Warren and Cockwood in the background.

This Hobby was initially picked up perched. It or another then put on a fantastic aerial display, at times rising so high that it was just a speck in the sky. Paul Gosling had one over Exeter Road this afternoon. That's two I've missed in Exmouth so far this year. Bill MacDonald had one on Orcombe Point a few days ago.

Localised

 

Whinchat

 

It was odd this afternoon. I popped up to Orcombe after work and went straight round the dung field and two large top fields without seeing a single migrant, apart from the many Whitethroats now on territory. I almost got back in the car to go home but decided to do a quick check of the cliff-top Blackthorn bushes.  As I reached the paddock I was greeted by 2 Wheatears. Glancing over the gate into the big flat field I was stunned to see it jumping with birds - c10+ Wheatears, 2 male Whinchats and a few Linnets. Why all these birds were concentrated in this small area is a bit of a mystery but it was really nice to see. In the Blackthorn there were 4 Willow Warblers including a really smart grey and white bird which thwarted all my attempts to get a photo. At least three Blackcaps were seen and a timely call from Derek put me on to the Short-eared Owl near the iron shelter. It was sat out in the open but I suspect it had been flushed by one of the many dog-walkers that let their pooches run riot through the fields.

 

Willow Warbler - not the grey one I was after.

Photographed from the footpath shortly after 5pm.

Today's Stuff

54 Pale-bellied Brent Geese estuary-bound. I took the dog for a walk mid-afternoon and found the same flock off Mudbank. At least 2 were wearing colour rings. I got a brief flash of red and yellow/orange before the birds waddled knee-deep into the water.

Orcombe Point - 4 Great Crested Grebe, c20+ Sandwich Tern, 1 Red-throated Diver, 4 Whimbrel, 2 Garden Warbler, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 Short-eared Owl, 1 Turnstone, c50+ Common Scoter, 56 Pale-bellied Brent Goose (2 birds on an offshore sandbar early on and the above flock later), 10+ Wheatear, 5 Blackcap, 3 Dunlin, 1 House Martin, 2+ Manx Shearwater and several Swallow 'in-off'. It was good to catch up with Brian this morning. We watched the Short-eared Owl hunting the fields closer to the Geoneedle this morning - presumably keen to keep out of the wind.

Mudbank this afternoon produced the flock of 54 Pale-bellied Brent Geese, c40+ Whimbrel and a fly-past Yellow Wagtail.

 

 

The same flock off Mudbank. The ring-bearing birds are of course belly-deep in water.

All of today's Wheatears were big and fairly colourful and therefore probably of a more north-westerly origin - Iceland or Greenland? I've seen more richly coloured birds than this but these were pretty smart.

 

Swifts and Dolphins

I covered Orcombe with Nick and Derek from shortly after dawn this morning. It was magic to watch Swifts moving through and we still haven't tired of watching the lingering Short-eared Owl. Lee Collins very kindly alerted us to an approaching sizeable pod of Common Dolphin. We managed to see them distantly but just as we were anticipating them getting closer they turned around and promptly disappeared.
Birds recorded included 8 Whimbrel, c20+ Sandwich Tern, 1+ Little Tern, 2 Great Crested Grebe, 10 Manx Shearwater, 4+ Shelduck, 1 Short-eared Owl, 12+ Swift, 5 Wheatear, 2 House Martin, 4 Swallow, 7+ Blackcap, 1 Rock Pipit, 1 Sparrowhawk, 1 Little Egret and 1 Dunlin.
There was some evidence of wader passage off Mudbank today with c50+ Whimbrel, c150+ Dunlin, 1 Sanderling and c10+ Turnstone present on dropping tide.